The Cumberland Road, also known as the National Road, was the first federally funded road in the United States. Though construction began in 1811, the Cumberland Road was not completed until 1852. Stretching 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) from Cumberland, Maryland, to Vandalia, Illinois, the road was built to allow settlers to traverse the Appalachian Mountains and settle in the West. With the advent of the automobile, the road was paved, and in 1926 became part of U.S. Route 40, which stretches across the continent.